Angels 2016 Season Preview

Ready for our early 2016 Los Angeles Angels predictions? Los Angeles have been up and down since moving to L.A.. In the 11 years since the move, the Angels have made the playoffs 5 of the 7 seasons.. Over that stretch they have only made it to the ALCS twice and losing both of those appearances.

It has been over a decade since the Angels have made it to the World Series when they beat the Giants in 2002.

2016 MLB Team Previews – Los Angeles Angels

L.A. Angels American League West Future Odds: OFF

L.A. Angels American League Pennant Futures Odds: 12/1

L.A. Angels 2016 World Series Futures: 25/1

Key Additions:

Andrelton Simmons SS

Yunel Escobar 3B

The Angels went out and had some big key additions to this team. First off getting gold-glove short stop Andrelton Simmons. Though he won’t be a big hitter for the Angels, he will be a big key defensively.

The other addition to the team was Yunel Escobar. Escobar was a sneaky above .300 hitter last season.

Key Losses:

Erick Aybar

David Freese

As the Angels were able to sign Simmons, they lost some offense with the departure of Erick Aybar at shortstop. Aybar was a good bat high up in the order where he has batted above .270 the past 5 years.

They also lost David Freese to free agency this offseason. Freese played 121 games at third base last

Trout had another fantastic year hitting just under .300 at the .299 mark while hitting 41 bombs. Trout has changed his game since he has been in the league. His steals numbers have dropped dramatically but he is now hitting more home runs.

Look for Trout to have another MVP caliber year. Albert Puljols had a power surge last season for the Angels, hitting 40 home runs.

Though his averaged dropped dramatically, his production was noted. Do not expect Puljols to hit 40 home runs again this season, especially coming off an off-season injury.

Other bats that need to be prevalent this season in order to be successful are, Kole Cahoun, Yunel Escobar, and Daniel Nava.

Calhoun is expected to have a better year this upcoming season and looks to improve his career average of .264. Escobar hit over .300 last season, but do not expect him for hit that high with much behind him in the lineup.

2016 Los Angeles Angels Predictions – Project Lineup:

This pitching staff is not of the strongest part of the team, or the division. The ace of this staff is Garrett Richards who is overall, but he is not going to overpower anyone, his strikeouts per 9 innings were down last season.

Behind him is veteran Jared Weaver who is slowly fading. Weaver struggled with injuries last season where he was only on the bump 26 times. He could be switched out of the 2 spot in the rotation by the left-handed Andrew Heaney.

The young pitcher will have a better season as he grows into a more experienced starter, as he only had 18 starts last season. At the bottom of the rotation, look to see C.J. Wilson, Hector Santiago, and Matt Shoemaker.

This average rotation will look to receive help from their bullpen and their good defense.

2016 Los Angeles Angels Predictions – Projected Bullpen:

Closer: Houston Street

Setup: Joe Smith

The back end of the bullpen one of the better ones in the majors. Set-up man Joe Smith appeared in 70 games last season where he was solid, striking out 57 batters in 65.1 innings pitched.

The closer, Houston Street was one of the best last season. Street ended up with 40 saves on the year with 57 strikeouts in 62.1 innings of work.

2016 Los Angeles Angels Predictions:

The Los Angeles Angels are coming into this season with low expectations. Mike Trout is arguably the best player in the MLB right now, but he cannot single handily carry this team into the playoffs.

Look for Pujols to not have the season that he did last season, which will make more of a weight put onto Trout’s back. With the mediocre pitching staff, this team will need their defense to carry the load overall on the season.

The Angels will be kept out of the playoffs for the second straight year, finishing in third place in the AL West, behind the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros.

About Nick

New to Cappers Picks but not new to laying a big bet whenever he sees a matchup he loves! Nick has grown as a loyal fan to the "Factory of Sadness" in Cleveland, also a avid fan of the Buckeyes. Nick has played Fantasy Sports for 8 years now. Yes. You can call him a DFS Master! He will be giving out free money on his predictions in NFL, CFB, NBA, CBB, and MLB.